


The Subject at Hand

by wcdarling



Category: Vampire Chronicles - All Media Types, Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Psychology, Tongue-in-cheek, ancient vampire, psychological test
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-14 13:20:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16493345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wcdarling/pseuds/wcdarling
Summary: A psychologist delivers the results of an exam she administered to my favorite 2000-year-old vamp. Not quite a silly but not entirely serious either. No real spoilers, but takes place after The Vampire Armand.





	The Subject at Hand

**Author's Note:**

> Written back around 2001, this was my attempt imagine what I psychologist would say if they performed on Marius the kind of evaluation that was done on me when I was about 7. I have the complete report of mine with description of the tests and the language of the analysis. Mine is actually FREAKY accurate both for that time and now. In writing my eval of Marius, I'm sure I have conjure some major BS, but it's fiction, I don't practice psychology.

**Subject Name: Marius de Romanus  
D.O.B.: Declined to Disclose  
Age: Declined to Disclose  
Referred By: Self  
**

**Date of Assessment: 11/4/00  
Date of Report: 11/17/00  
Examiner: W. Feschenhauser, Ph.D., Certified Clinical Psychologist**

**\--Reason for Referral--**

The subject of this evaluation, Marius de Romanus, contacted me directly and arranged for a detailed psychological analysis. According to Marius, several family members have suggested that such an analysis is warranted due to ongoing behavior patterns. Marius would not disclose whether or not there have been problems with family members but such is the inference I have drawn.

Because the subject was self-referred, it was difficult for me to persuade him to divulge the exact nature of his behavioral problems or even his own past history. At length, however, using the logical argument that I would not be able to complete an analysis without a starting point, I managed to receive a briefing.

The subject has pursued careers in art, scholarly research and museum maintenance. He has spent the bulk of his adult life alone, although there have been a number of short relationships, all of which were apparently extremely taxing emotionally, given the bittersweet remarks he offered, such as "they can never last the eternity I desired."

A great deal of Marius' life was given over to the care of his elderly parents, since deceased. By his own admission, since his parents' death as well as recent reunions with his ex's, Marius has been experiencing problems re-establishing his equilibrium, particularly since he is so accustomed to being alone. He has fallen into a number of behavior patterns that other family members find objectionable, but again, when I pressed him for details he would only say that he had been accused of being hypocritical, overly impulsive and "sick."

**\--Assessment--**

I subjected Marius to a battery of tests, including an I.Q. test, visual imagery/association tests, and a series of Rorschach tests.

**\--Behavioral Observations--**

While Marius declined to reveal his age, he would appear to be about 40 years old and in excellent health. I was struck by his white-blond hair and his shockingly pale white complexion. He was dressed quite fastidiously with a dark red cashmere pullover that made it clear he valued his comfort.

During the course of analysis, Marius appeared calm and collected and was most cooperative, following directions and answering all questions politely and in the most thorough manner possible. I did note some slight hesitation in his verbalizations, however, as if prior to speaking he were strenuously monitoring his comments to make sure he did not say anything in error. In fact, there were several occasions when I felt his intensity was like that of an actor delivering a speech. Nonetheless, I judge that he responses were in fact genuine and unrehearsed. His manner was simply different from that of other subjects I had tested.

One final behavioral observation I must make is simply to note Marius' subtle sense of humor, a certain tinge of playfulness he displayed several times during the examination, as when he responded to one of the ink blots by saying it looked like "a very serious accident at Renaissance draftsman's table." He then corrected himself quickly by saying, "Oh, but I know that was too literal" and giving me a wink.

**\--Cognitive Functioning--**

Prior to coming in, Marius had made no indication that I would be conducting anything other than an ordinary examination and thus when making my preparations I had not expected to come across anything out of the ordinary. This is why I must frankly admit that I nearly fell out of my chair in shock when we came around to the cognitive testing.

Immediately upon meeting Marius, I had gathered he was a highly intelligent creature, but until I ran the tests I had no idea that his intellectual ability surpassed that of anyone I had previously examined, falling into the range of genuine, indisputable genius. I have of course read and heard of such individuals but until this time I had never had first hand experience with someone with such mental gifts.

In quantitative terms, the subject's cognitive intelligence nearly ranked off the chart, coming up to an estimated 285, making him one of the most mentally gifted individuals on the planet. His mind simply works at phenomenal speed and his power of memory was extraordinary. I felt the urge to call in people off the street to witness his display. I restrained myself not only because I am a professional but because in prior telephone conversation, Marius had explicitly stated that he wished the results of his exam to remain absolutely private.

During the cognitive phase of testing, Marius again and again demonstrated phenomenal powers. His logic skills were unparalleled even when handling the most difficult problems. His power of memory was extraordinary as well. When I spoke a 50-digit number out loud he was able to repeat it without error and apparently without much difficulty. When I gave him a five-second glimpse of a similarly long number he was able to repeat it that way as well. I was rather astounded at this and so I moved on to showing him a printed shopping list of 50 items for five seconds and he was able to repeat the list back to me. I asked him to recite the list backwards and he did so. Curious, I then showed him a full-page of printed text for 10 seconds. Not only was he able to recite it back to me but after the first run-through he recited it backwards.

Before moving on to the perceptual motor testing I paused to satisfy my own curiosity, asking Marius about his memory ability. He told me he has had the gift since a very young age. I asked him the most useful function of ability and he firmly stated that it was ability to memorize and quickly learn foreign languages. When I asked him how many he knew, he replied that he could not give a definite number but estimated the number at "several dozen." I could hardly believe this and so I asked him to name "a dozen," which he did, naming, as I recorded in my notes: English, French, Latin, Ancient Greek, Modern Greek, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Gaelic, Romanian, and Russian. He indicated that there were many more minor European languages he knew as well as languages from other parts of the world. Even though the memory tests had indicated his abilities I found it difficult to believe his statements about the languages and so I asked him to deliver a short verbal sample from each. He did so without hesitation.

**\--Perceptual Motor Functioning--**

After Marius' extraordinary cognitive display, I was anticipating something lesser in the area of perceptual motor functioning, even though he had told me he was an artist. As it turns out, however, Marius' abilities in this area were also unsurpassed. Marius handled every task presented to him with utmost speed and exactitude. His copying skills were outstanding and when I remarked to him that he reminded me of "a human mimeograph" he noted that it was another of his gifts. At the conclusion of these tests I asked him if he would be able to do a quick sketch for me. In less than one minute he produced a strikingly accurate sketch of the examiner. He told me to keep it, which I have.

**\--Personality Functioning--**

The results of the Rorschach and visual imagery/association tests indicate that Marius is a highly gifted individual, although they also show that beneath his serene exterior he is deeply troubled.

On the Rorschach tests, Marius delivered an usually high number of responses and did so at such a speed that it was difficult for me to keep up with my notes. For almost every blot he gave me twenty or more interpretations. After the first few I asked him if he realized he was only to say what he was truly reminded of. He said that he realized that and was simply saying what came to mind naturally.

Many of Marius' responses were akin to the typical responses, as he likened the blots to butterflies, clouds, fields of grass, vases and various animals. I observed that he had a tendency to try to organize the entire blot, indicating a need to control his environment and possibly those around him, setting up each element as part of a larger schema.

A fair percentage number of his responses, however, were somewhat peculiar. Besides the comment about the "very serious accident" noted above, he made several comments which indicated dark undercurrents and possibly past violence. Many of the blots that drew such comments were predominantly red, orange or black. The red blots in particular seemed to inspire Marius; he spoke of death, killing, and pleasure. In one case he made a reference to a piece of torn flesh. The orange pieces brought out talk of fire, burning, pain, hurt, anger damnation, and hell. The predominantly black blots drew allusions to night, alleyways, chasms in the early, underground chambers, and stairways.

The visual imagery/association tests produced results that also shed light on Marius' personality. Once again, while many of his comments and associations matched those of the typical individual, he had a great deal more to say and there were many comments which could be classified as peculiar.

His responses showed strong male identification as well as a strong preference towards males. His relationship to women would seem to be somewhat stand-offish and in several instances, when interpreting drawings of women and men, he drew the conclusion that the woman was attempting to dominate the man. Other images couples, either opposite-sex or same-sex, brought out comments on love and "love's fragility." Marius had not told me he was a poet but in these responses it seemed somewhat apparent.

Some of the subject's more peculiar remarks came in reference to pictures of families and children. Shown pictures of children, he associated them with flowers, noting that they bloom quickly and die fast. His comments regarding families included references to "eternity through the seed" and the "progress of man," hardly the usual comments such pictures draw.

Two images in particular elicited highly unusual responses and obvious emotional reactions.

One was an image of a king and queen seated on a large throne, their subjects kneeling and bowing before them. Rather than making mention of power, order and tradition, Marius seemed to find the image disturbing, saying that it brought to mind idol worship, ignorance, slavery, religion and a "complex system of lies and betrayals." He also remarked that the people deferring to the king and queen were "making a mistake."

The second image which brought a strong reaction was a picture of a man walking across a field of high wheat in bright sunlight. Marius immediately associated the image with life, happiness, and health, all three of which are common enough as descriptions of the scene. However, Marius then went on to say that he didn't "know much about walking in fields of wheat or feeling the sun on my face," and so the picture also reminded him of "things I will not see" and "things than cannot be." I was left to wonder at this strange reaction.

**\--Summary and Conclusions--**

Marius is a man of phenomenal intelligence, but his extraordinary gifts do not bring him peace. Rather it appears they make his emotional health much more of a challenge. Every problem is magnified by the acuteness of his intellect and the sensitivity of his senses. Although I have often heard people say that they wished to be geniuses, when one observes someone like Marius it is easy to see the downside.

One of Marius' chief obstacles appears to be a strong desire to play his cards close to the chest, as it were, expending a great deal of effort to suppress his basic desires and impulses. His manner of speaking, on which I remarked near the top of this report, is an example of the way Marius seems unable to be truly spontaneous because he is so intent on checking his every word and action.

I speculate that it may be that while Marius for the most part suppresses his emotions, at times he finds it impossible and he lets them rule him, but because they have been withheld for so long he loses control over them. This would explain the vague comments about problems with family members and the fat that he came to be for examination in the first place.

Marius also exhibits a strong need to control and organize his environment, apparently because it makes him feel safe and in control. This may tie in with his uneasiness with female figures as well as the possibility that he has witnessed or experienced a number of traumatic events, even though he had mentioned none to me except for the death of his parents.

To become more emotionally healthy, Marius needs to find the support of a strong individual who either does does not threaten his need for order or who eliminates the need for order entirely. Marius must also find an outlet for expressing his stronger emotions; perhaps this outlet can be located in his art or other creative expression. Finally, Marius needs to examine the painful memories and guilt that is apparently eating him up. A program of intensive therapy is highly recommended.

Marius was without a doubt the single most remarkable subject I have ever examined and I truly hope he finds resolutions to his problems.

**Wiebke Feschenhauser, Ph.D.  
Certified Clinical Psychologist**


End file.
